Until The End Of Time
by theconsultingtardisbananaangel
Summary: A few hundred years in the future, Castiel is shocked to find that Dean went to Hell and is now a high-ranking demon. As Dean struggles for power in Hell, helping trapped souls escape, and Cas runs from his wrathful brothers, they try to come to terms with the emotions that they couldn't face the first time around. Destiel. Demon!Dean. In progress.
1. Prologue

It is a peaceful place, overlooking a small pond. The cherry trees are continually in bloom, while hummingbirds and honeybees fly among the vivid flowers. At the top of the hill, surrounded in green grass, there are two large stones. The grotto has been studied by the world's premier scientists for decades, but none can explain the eternal springtime, or the mysterious element found only in the two stones. A research team had tried removing the stones to study in the lab, but they were found wandering 200 miles away, memories lost; the stones returned to their spots inexplicably. Pilgrimages are made by peoples of all religions, coming to see this small pocket of peace in a world alight with turmoil. In the early 2040s, a young girl was cured of her paralysis, many parents have brought their crippled and ill children here since. A baby with an inoperable tumor cured, a comatose preteen who walked away himself Muscular dystrophy, depression, blindness, the cures were endless.

The people named it Angel's Grotto.

As medicine advanced, and humanity branched out among the stars, Angel's Grotto was mostly forgotten. There were immunizations for almost everything now, technologies that allowed antibodies to be fabricated as easily as sending a sample to a lab.

The angel still loved it here.

As visitors were few and far between now, he allowed himself to be visible, walking among the fragrant cherry trees, and relaxing near the rocks.

On this particular Thursday morning, the angel sat in a tree by the pond, watching a young boy skip stones. He climbed from the tree and approached the child.

"Hello," said the boy, holding out a smooth rock to the angel. He had of course been warned not to talk to strangers, but this man seemed as if he was part of the landscape. "Do you want to skip with me?"

"I'd love to," replied the angel. He whirled it across the pond, and it bounced eight times before sinking.

"Wow, mister. You're good."

"Why have you come here, young Joseph?"

"How d'you know my name?"

"I know everything."

"Then you know why I'm here," the boy said precociously.

"Your sister is ill, and your family doesn't have enough money to pay for antibodies."

"I come here to think."

"Bring her to me."

"Why would I do that?" The boy skipped the last stone he had gathered, and he sat down in the grass. The angel laid down his trenchcoat and sat beside the boy.

"Can I tell you a story?"

"Yes. My parents don't have time for stories since Penny got sick."

"See those rocks up there? Those are graves. 200 years ago, I laid to rest two brothers, Sam and Dean, the bravest men I'd ever met..."


	2. A Leviathan at CMU!

Somewhere in southwestern Pennsylvania, a massive land-reshaping effort had placed the head and body of a long-forgotten Leviathan in close proximity. He began preying on local college students, until a part-time hunter attending Carnegie Mellon University came to check it out. He had never seen such a creature, but within a few library trips, he identified it and made preparations to incapacitate him again.

Hunters began to hear of the legendary creature, a living relic from the time of the Winchesters. It became a huge deal, and eventually even Heaven and Hell began to take note.

One angel and one demon in particular.

A man in a trenchcoat left his peaceful grotto for the first time in centuries, and a high-ranking demon who had lived in the time of the Leviathans made one of his rare visits to the Earth to see the creature.

The angel had only begun to forgive himself for the ordeal that had allowed this abomination to roam Earth in the first place.

The demon missed the times when he was the hero, rather than the villain.

The angel didn't recognize the demon right away. Then he stopped for a hamburger in a little cafe and heard a familiar voice. He turned and stared.

"Dean?" The angel wasn't sure whether he should be smiting or exalting.

"Cas?" Familiar green eyes stretched wide in disbelief. The former hunter crossed the cafe in milliseconds and sat across the booth from Castiel.

"You're dead."

"Yes." Dean looked as shocked as Cas felt.

"You didn't go to Heaven?" Castiel felt a huge wave of sadness wash over him.

"You didn't bother to check?" Dean looked hurt. "Didn't try to visit?"

"I'm not really welcome in Heaven." Cas didn't feel like explaining.

"You could come be my secretary." Dean chuckled.

"I take it you allowed yourself to become a demon."

"I'm a tough one to kill." Dean opened the menu. "Burger for you, Cas? I remember how you loved them."

"You can remember that stuff? Even as a servant of Hell?"

"The memories are my last shred of human...ness." Dean looked away, watching a kid beg for floating ice cream.

"What is your job? As a demon?" Castiel was dying to know. Now that he was past the initial shock of seeing Dean again, he needed to know everything in order to free the old hunter from his curse. "Show me your true eyes."

"I'm the first green-eyed demon in existence." Dean blinked, and a deep, evergreen shade replaced his normal ones.

"Why?" Cas folded a crane out of a napkin.

"I don't know. Nobody does."

"What do you do for Hell?"

"When I first turned demon, they treated me as any other one. Mailroom pusher, background character. And then I began to rise the ranks." A waitress approached the table.

"Can I help you?" Cas just stared, as if he had forgotten that normal human life was still going on.

"He'll have the $110 burger special and I'll have the $60 chili dog. Oh, and two strawberry milkshakes."

"You bet."

"Love these retro places," remarked Dean, eyeing the 'traditional' waitress uniform and the tanned legs it revealed. "It's like the 21st century in here."

"I sometimes forget how difficult it is for other beings to adjust to the infinite timelines. You were telling me about hell?"

"Oh, I missed that tactlessness," muttered Dean. Louder, he said, "I don't know what happened, but I found out that I could get the other rookie demons to do what I wanted."

"So you can control them?"

"Any demon, save Crowley." Castiel bristled at the mention of their old foe. "So, I rose ranks pretty quick. After a century or so, I was second-in-command." Dean took the discarded crane in his hands, turning it.

"And then?"

"I got into a tangle with a hunter in Milwaukee. He had our old demon-blade. He stabbed me. And I lived."

"You can't be killed?" Castiel squinted.

"No. Or, not that I know of." He held the crane close to his face, breathed on it. The paper began to move, flapping its wings and struggling out of Dean's hand before flying smoothly towards the cafe door. Castiel watched, in awe, as it waited for someone to enter or exit, and then fly out into the sky.

"That's amazing."

"The bird? Or that I can't be killed?"

"Both." They sat in silence for a while, watching each other.

"Listen, Cas..." Dean finally broke the silence. "Sam?"

"Lived a full and happy life. His ashes are buried next to yours." Dean smiled.

"Good. Kid deserved it. And he's not in hell, so that means..."

"He's up there. Probably with his children."

"Children?" The demon sat up.

"Two of them. There are still some descendants," said Cas. Dean ran a hand through his already ruffled hair.

"How many? Can I meet them?"

"I don't think it would be wise."

"I guess you're right. But I still want to see them."

"I'd have to track them down." Another silence.

"I tried so hard to find my family," the demon said eventually. Cas sighed.

"I used some sigils to protect them from demons," he admitted. "I didn't know you'd be among them."

"I'm so, so sorry," breathed Dean, so quietly that no human could have heard even if they were standing next to him.

"Dean..." Castiel reached across the table to put a hand on his old friend's arm. Neither noticed the waitress return with the food until she cleared her throat. They pulled away quickly, embarrassed.

"You two are cute together," said the waitress as she set out the food.

"Oh- we're not- not a couple-" stammered Dean.

"You should be." The waitress winked and returned to the kitchen.

"Why does everyone still think I'm gay?"

"Dean, it's not a social issue any longer."

"I know, but still..."

They ate their meals in silence, and the combination of 21st century decor paired with the familiarity of each other's company was comforting. Cas almost found himself looking around for Sam.

"HELP!" Someone outside the cafe was shrieking.

"The Leviathan," they said simultaneously.

"Just like old times," Dean said, throwing down some crisp hundred dollar bills before rushing away. Cas wasn't so eager. It was almost nothing like 'old' times.


	3. The Waiting Rooms

Rushing out the door after Dean, Castiel's mind whirled. Every part of him screamed that demons were not to be trusted, but this was _Dean_. Dean who saved the world several times over.

But what if it wasn't Dean anymore?

Besides, he was new, the first of his kind, green eyed. And what kind of demon retained their original human form? Cas vowed to keep a close eye on him.

"That's not Leviathan," remarked the demon. The young woman who had been screaming stood on the sidewalk, staring at a minor car crash. Dean rolled his eyes at Cas.

"Then where is the Leviathan?"

"I dunno. Wait, this is C.M.U.? That means... Hey, look! That's the building where they filmed the scene in The Dark Knight Rises where Bane is yelling at the crowd..." He was rambling, pointing at a large Grecian-inspired building.

"Dean. I have no idea what you're talking about." Upon seeing that there were no major injuries, Cas began to walk in the opposite direction of the 'Dark Knight' building. He walked until he came to a large field that someone had placed in the center of the city, beneath the skyscrapers that fought for dominance on the sky. Dean followed, clearly not willing to lose track of his old angel friend.

"Cas. Sit down." He motioned to a bench near a plaque. "Look at that. Historical landmark, 2109... Battle of... I can't pronounce that..."

"I need to leave."

"What? Why?" Dean turned and stared at Cas, who took a deep, pained breath.

"You're a demon."

"I'm still Dean." Had he been a human, Dean would have been on the verge of tears.

"No." Castiel knew that associating with demons never turned out well. He stood up, ready to fly back to his grotto.

"Wait- Cas, please, wait, it's still me, I can prove it-" Dean stammered.

"Prove? How can you prove that? Your soul is mangled."

"Come with me." Dean held out his hand. Castiel regarded it, trying to gauge the situation, but Dean was hard to read. "I'll show you."

"Show me what?"

"Hell. My Hell."

* * *

"So many," whispered Cas as the pair made their way through the twisting tunnels and corridors of cells.

"We're almost here." Dean led Cas into a cell where an old man eyed them warily. "Hello, Andy," he said to the man, who raised a scarred hand in mock salute.

"Cheers, mate," he said. Castiel was confused.

"Dean, how-" Dean waved his hand behind him, signaling Cas to be quiet. Andy gave him a you'd-better-listen look.

"Blood, please," Dean said. Cas watched, dumbfounded, as the old man slid a razor down his wrist. Blood flowed into a dirty bowl and he handed it to Dean, who spread a symbol on the wall, placing his hand over it and chanting in a language that sounded vaguely like Croatian. Suddenly, the room was washed with red light, light that made Castiel's head ache and throat burn. Dean and the prisoner, now huddled in the corner, were unaffected. Dean took Castiel's hand, but he was in too much pain to protest, and he felt himself being ushered through the portal. Suddenly the red light was gone, and they stood in another corridor. But this one was different. It looked more like a hall in an upscale hotel than anything.

"Dean, what is this?" As Dean began to walk down the corridor, the candles flickered and glowed brightly when he passed, creating an aura around him as he passed. It was clear that he was in charge of this place.

"I call it the Waiting Rooms," the demon replied. Cas looked more closely at the doors. The first was marked twenty-three. "These are the souls I'm rescuing."

"Rescuing?"

"Ah, Number Twenty-Three. A personal favorite of mine. Come meet Ariana." Dean placed his hand on the door, chanting more in the odd language. The silver numerals glowed and the door dissolved.

Inside, a young woman dressed in an elaborate evening gown lay on a bed, watching a movie. "Dean. Any news?" She scrambled out of bed upon their entrance, and the room began to light up in Dean's presence.

"Ariana, Castiel. Castiel is an angel of the Lord."

"An angel?" Ariana's eyes widened.

"Dean-" Cas pulled the demon away and whispered furiously in his ear. "What in God's name are we doing here?"

"He's saving me," Ariana stated simply.

"Ariana gave birth to a weak little boy in the eighteenth century. He was dying, so she sold her soul to keep him alive. The kid survived, and she's got descendants in Canada."

"But why is she here? Does Crowley know about this?" The young woman flinched at Crowley's name.

"These are souls I hand picked for salvation." Dean smiled. Castiel was beginning to understand. "The ones that are here out of selflessness. I smuggle them up when I can, and I release them to Heaven so that they can be reunited with their loved ones. Would an I do that if I was evil?"

"No," sighed Cas. "But Crowley-"

"-Is still in charge. But I can control the lesser demons, and he hasn't found anything out yet. Ariana's been here three years, because Crowley doesn't trust me enough to give me complete freedom, so I have to plan each one very carefully." Dean reached out and took one of Ariana's hand in his, kissing it respectfully. "It isn't easy, and it requires help from humans and angels."

"Angels?"

"I was working with one named Elzbeth until she was killed by one of Crowley's henchmen." Dean closed his eyes, obviously still pained at the memory. He sat on the bed, and Ariana sat down at his side, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"It couldn't be helped," she murmured. "Elzbeth saved twenty-two before her death."

"Cas, I need your help." Dean's human-green eyes met Castiel's. "I need an angel."

"I can't, Dean, it's too dangerous." Dean's face fell, and Ariana choked back a sob.

"Please," he whispered.

"But I am going to help you seize the metaphorical throne so you can rule this place. Then we can save as many souls as we want."


	4. Angel & Demon

"So, how's life been since I died?" Castiel and Dean were sitting in a 2120 Impala, staking out a house in the suburbs that had all the hallmarks of an open-and-shut haunting. A young woman had been killed in the house and was now slicing open anyone that was roughly similar to her murderer. The bones had been thrown onto a trash launch, and they couldn't salt and burn them because they were light years away. Cas had wanted to leave, but Dean had convinced him that they should hunt while they made a plan to get the souls out.

"Not a lot." Cas didn't look at Dean.

"Not a lot?" The demon sighed. "It's been centuries, man, you had to have done something. Didn't you get bored?"

"I am as old as time itself. I find that it is like sand; it can be observed in any amount, whether a few grains or an entire ocean floor." Cas wondered if the humans had cared for the Earth, and if there were still beaches. From what he had seen, the world had been mostly machines and computers and robots, with a duck pond or tree scattered in here and there.

"So, you're saying... what, exactly? You don't get bored?"

"I am a multidimensional being, therefore it is hard to understand the concept. Perhaps mortal things feel boredom because of the limited amount of time they have. Any period of time spent idle seems a waste."

"I never did get straight the whole angel-emotions complex. I know you feel something, or you'd have no point." Dean wished for something to do with his hands. Cars relied mostly on thought waves for direction, eliminating the need for a steering column. One could get in a car and drive for hours without pressing a single button.

"We were created to be God's mercenaries, carrying out orders no questions asked. But angels, being divine and superior to all other creation-"

"Still modest as ever, Cas-"

"-learn and absorb knowledge. So when humans were given free will and emotions, we picked up on them. But it's rather like being in a foreign land with only a pocket dictionary of the language." Cas watched a large house cat cross the street, marveling at its gorgeous coat. Evolution and the advances in veterinary medicine had been quite favorable to pets.

"Like memorizing your times tables and then taking Calculus."

"Exactly like that. Mostly, everything blends together, positive with positive, negative with negative. I know if I feel Bad about something or Good about something, and I go from there."

"So, you've just been hangin' out these past couple of years?"

"I created a haven where nothing can find me. Only humans and I can enter."

"Why don't you want to be found?"

"There are some angels who are rather like your human bounty hunters. There's a huge reward for anyone who kills me." Castiel's voice broke. "I'm in huge danger just being here."

"So why are you?" If Cas couldn't feel boredom, then something else must have been keeping him here.

"You asked me to."

Castiel looked at Dean for the first time in hours. He still had trouble seeing past the demonic aura which blocked most of Dean's appearance from view, and it made him feel Bad to see his old friend so defaced. If he focused hard, really wanted to, he could block out the ugliness for a moment, and he used this to catch a glimpse of the face he had missed so dearly.

"If you're in danger, then we can go back-"

"No. Humans only. I want to stay here."

"Why?"

"I missed you," stated Cas simply.

"Cas?"

"Yes?"

"I missed you too. Oh my god, I missed you. I assumed since you didn't try and find me that you were dead, as in 'ceasing-to-exist" dead, not Sam's dead which is heaven, and that was worse than anything I faced in hell."

"So can you? Feel emotions?"

"Yes."

"What do demons feel?"

"Everything, ten times more potent. Ambition, anger, regret, confusion, sorrow, doubt."

"Anything Good at all?"

"I'd given up, but then-"

"Dean, I think the ghost is moving." Cas pointed at a flickering light moving inside the house. Dean heard the familiar ruffle of wings and he was left alone in the car.

"...I found out that you were still alive," he finished aimlessly, watching Cas walk away.


	5. Gone Huntin'

**Author's note: Whoah, it's been a month! Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm not gonna lie, I was kind of lazy, then I had writer's block, then I sort of overdosed... (I'm okay now!) Anyways, this chapter is kind of short because I have to go work on a bunch of college application stuff for next year. According to my parents, it's of vital importance that I apply to Oxbridge RIGHT THIS INSTANT**

**Anyways, here's the chapter.**

* * *

"Open," Dean said to the car, and the silent hydraulics pushed the door up. He could easily use his demon skills to zap himself after Castiel, but he liked to walk. It allowed him to savor the sensation of moving muscles which reminded him of his lost humanity. Cas was at the porch of the house, looking inside the window cautiously. Dean didn't know why he bothered; there was nothing that a minor haunting could do to harm an angel or a demon.

"Lock up," he told the car as he ran after Cas. The angel had his hand on the side of the building, eyes closed in concentration. Dean was hit with a violent wave of deja vu as his old friend tilted his head, brow furrowed.

"There's two ghosts," the angel remarked.

"Two?"

"Yes. I can feel two separate energies in the house," Cas confirmed.

"Well, let's go get rid of 'em." Dean twitched his finger and the door opened.

"Wait, Dean. I want to know something."

"Okay, shoot."

"Have you had much experience with spirits?"

"Dude, I fought ghosts like other kids fought Pokemon," Dean replied quizzically. "You know that."

"I don't know what a Pokemon is. But I meant since you descended into your current form."

Dean decided to ignore the angel's derogatory choice of words about his transformation.

"A Pokemon is a little creature that you train- oh, never mind. No, I haven't been topside much. Hell's kinda time-consuming."

"Some non-human creatures, like angels, can sense the presence of ghosts and spirits," Castiel informed him. "I don't know if demons can, but these spirits are relatively harmless, so you should give it a try." Castiel's hand dropped again. "Put your hand here and close your eyes."

Dean placed his hand over the spot which Castiel's had recently occupied. Nothing happened.

"Anything?"

"No."

"Here. Try now." Cas put his hand over Dean's.

At first, nothing happened, but as Dean waited, concentrating hard, he began to feel a build-up of energy underneath his palm. It seemed to irradiate from the wood of the door frame, coursing through his veins and pulsing in his mind. Slowly, as the energy climbed, it began to separate into two similar, but distinct, forms. One felt wholly smooth and gentle, but it had a harsh edge to it. The other filled Dean with someone else's rage, but had loving, protective undercurrents.

"There's two things," he confirmed, and opened his eyes. Castiel's hand was no longer on his own, but he could still feel the pulsating energies.

"What do they feel like?" Cas prompted.

"One's sort of...friendly, but raging. The other's protective and rueful."

"Reach out into the energies. See if you can gauge the relationship between them;how they react and build upon each other."

"The second is sort of...enveloping the first."

"Here, let me." Cas brushed the demon's hand away. Dean shivered as the energies fled his body. "These are tormented souls. Here, put your hand back."

"I can feel their pain, Cas," Dean said, as the sensation took over his body again. "Oh, god, they're in so much pain."

"Feel how similar the energies are," Cas urged. They did feel similar, and Dean instinctively knew that the people to whom they belonged were very close.

"They're family."

"Closer than family," the angel coached. "They compliment each other. The edges are fused together."

Suddenly Dean realized that he wasn't receiving any help from Cas. He dropped his hand.

"Wait, Cas, I did that by myself." Dean stared at his palm, and then at the angel.

"Your powers are stronger than I thought." The angel frowned.

"Let's go, dude. I can train up my Poke-moves later." Dean walked through the door. Inside, the house was a wreck. Picture frames lay on the floor, shattered. A lone tennis shoe lay at the foot of the stairs. Dust covered every available surface. A pair of skinny mice scampered out as they entered.

"Maybe they killed off the housekeeper," Dean joked. "This place is a mess."

"The spirits are upstairs. Come on." Cas disappeared with a _whoosh_. Dean picked up a moving photograph depicting a little girl tossing a ball for a golden retriever with her parents looking on, the father waving at the camera. Something in the girl's movements reminded Dean of the energies he had felt earlier. He smoothed out the photo and placed it on the little table before following Cas.

"Show yourself," the angel was demanding. The room was still. "Can you feel their presence, Dean?"

"Dude, can we just go? Something feels wrong."

"More wrong than a demon and an angel hunting a ghost?" Cas deadpanned.

"No... it's just weird in here." Dean couldn't figure out why the atmosphere felt strange, as if something was missing and replaced with something entirely different.

"When you said you hadn't 'been topside' much, does that mean you haven't been near a ghost at all since you became a demon?" Cas said, tilting his head to the side.

"No, not that I know of."

"Your form is a lot more similar to a ghost now than it was when you were human. You probably don't feel as alienated."

"I'm not cold," the demon realized suddenly. "I feel...warm, somehow."

"Its energy," Cas stated. "I think you can feel it more than I can." He closed his eyes, concentrating.

"Uh, Miss Ghosty? Um, can you hear me?"

A book flew off of the bookshelf.

"Oh. Um, hi. Listen, You're kinda freaking people out, so if you could move on to heaven, that'd be nice," Dean said to the seemingly vacant room.

"Can't," something whispered softly. "We're stuck."

"Stuck?"

"We were wronged," replied the voice.

"Wronged? Wronged how?" Cas asked. There was no answer.

"How were you wronged?"

"Daniel," the voice said nervously. Wind began to blow throughout the room.

"Daniel? Daniel who?" Dean asked.

"Daniel!" The voice shrieked. Then, as quickly as it started, the wind died.

* * *

"I can't find anything about a 'Daniel' in any of these." Dean poked at the paper-thin tablet on the desk in front of him.

"Why are the birds so _angry_?" Cas sat next to him, another tablet in his hands. He was throwing little virtual birds into little virtual blocks.

"Aw, dude, have you been doing anything?" Dean closed the virtual newspaper archive and snatched the angel's tablet. "We've been at the library for an hour."

"We're immortal beings, Dean. I have time to ease the birds' anger."

"They're not actually angry."

"Then why-"

"You haven't changed at all, Cas."

"Is that a Good thing or a Bad thing?"

"Good. Definitely a Good thing." Dean cleared his throat. Then, more quietly, he added, "I wouldn't want it any other way." Castiel looked at him. "I missed you, man."

"I do to."


	6. Do You Realize What You've Done?

"Castiel."

Cas was resting in a luxurious hotel room. Neither he nor Dean needed to sleep, but old habits prevailed. The holographic television screen zapped to life with a deafeningly shrill noise.

"Castiel," it repeated.

"Yes, I'm here," he said, unable to stifle the terrible waves of dread cascading through him.

"Long time no see," shrieked the television. "Centuries, in fact."

"You can't kill me through a television set," Cas stated insolently. He poured himself a glass of Dean's favorite alcoholic drink, not caring that it wouldn't have any effects whatsoever.

"We don't intend to kill you, Castiel."

"Then why- Why send me into hiding?" Cas seethed. "Come down and talk to me yourself, ass-butt!" He sent the now-empty tumbler shattering into the wall.

"You really should broaden your range of insults," came a voice from behind him. Cas turned to see an immaculately clean angel dressed in a pre-teen girl's body and nothing else.

"Interesting choice of vessels," he seethed at the naked young girl.

"Oh, yes, this is Isabella. She was about to take a bath." The angel glanced down at its body.

"If you're going to kill me..."

"I said, it was never our intention to kill you." She sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Why are you here?"

"There are those that want you dead, but most of us just wish for you to repent."

"No. I refuse."

Isabella sighed.

"You are going to be persecuted by your... enemies unrelentingly, Castiel. They do not forgive, and they will not rest until you cease to exist or take back your words."

"Lying is a sin, and to take back my words would be a lie."

"You still mean what you told us centuries ago?"

Cas paused. He certainly had meant it then, but so much had changed since then.

"I don't know," he admitted.

"You need to watch your back, Castiel. Reassess your statements and act on them."

With the noise of feathers, Cas was left alone in the room. He sighed, mulling over the anonymous angel's words.

This time, he didn't bother with a glass; he drank directly from the bottle.

It didn't help.

* * *

"Did you find anything out about Daniel?" Cas asked as Dean returned to the hotel, trying to keep all emotion out of his voice.

"Daniel her second cousin, Daniel her kindergarten teacher or Daniel the gardener?" Dean grumbled.

"Why don't you just let some mortal hunter deal with it?" Cas sat down on the bed, wishing he had the ability to sleep. Dean was infuriating him; going on as if nothing had changed, as if centuries hadn't passed, as if he was still human and they were just Dean and Cas-

"I guess I could, but..."

"But what? You want to be a hunter again? After you allowed yourself to become the very thing that you used to track down and kill without any second thought?" Cas hissed, suddenly angry at the demon.

"Cas, I-"

"You are a selfish-" Cas flew across the room and punched him squarely in the jaw- "Unworthy-" another punch- "Traitorous-" punch- "Bastard."

"Cas, what the hell?" Dean looked hurt and confused. He touched his jaw gingerly.

"Dean, did you not think about the consequences of your actions?" Cas narrowed his eyes, trying to communicate even a fraction of his anger towards the former hunter. "Do you know what you've done?"

"I was busy having my skin cut off and my organs set on fire to think, Cas," Dean shouted. "When I agreed, they were sawing my limbs off, peeling back my burnt, blackened flesh, boiled alive in molten steel, my insides floating around me! Besides, I thought-"

"Thought what? You could get some new toys to play with and resume your old life? Just come back and poke at some ghosts as usual?"

"Cas, I wanted to come back so that I could change things. I wanted to help people." Dean sat down at the desk, cradling his head in his hands.

"I sacrificed _everything_ for you, Dean. There are angels tripping over themselves to get to me right now. If I so much as step into that hallway, I'll be burned to cinders."

"You sacrificed- what are you talking about?"

"There's a reason I've been in hiding for centuries, Dean! Or were you too wrapped up in your little border-hopping game to stop and think?" Cas sank down onto the mattress, worn out from his shouting.

"Cas, I thought you were _dead_, man. You've got no idea what that's like. I thought I had nothing left to lose," Dean confessed, tracing his finger along the scratches in the wood.

"I think I know what that's like, Dean."

"You can't possibly know," he spat.

"I thought you'd gone to heaven, Dean, and now I have to see you like-like this. I can't bear to spend time with you because you've fallen so far. I miss you, Dean! If you were dead, then at least I still would have loved- regarded you highly." Cas lay back. "My best friend has become the thing we used to hate more than anything and he's fine with it," he muttered.

An uncomfortable silence stretched on. Dean and Cas both found themselves watching the other, only to look away when their eyes met.

"So, you can't leave this room, then?" Dean finally broke the silence.

"I was given a warning and promptly posted some sigils around the room. No angel can get in, but they know where I am and are waiting for me to step outside."

"Damn." The demon let out a low whistle. "Sounds like you really pissed 'em off."

"Yes, they are quite furious with my actions."

"What did you do, Cas? You never told me why they're angry at you, or what you've been up to for these last few centuries."

"I created a safe haven and stayed there ever since you sacrificed yourself. I left once, to collect your brother's body and lay it next to yours."

"Why?"

"Do you remember that day?"

"A bit. I remember some demons, and that they were going to destroy Sam's soul, and then I was Crowley's punching bag."

"Angels sold you out to Crowley. They wanted to test my loyalties. They joined forces with demons, who just wanted you dead before you could do anymore to hinder them. So they took Sam, threatened to destroy your soul, and forced me to watch as you decided between your own life and your brother's. They would have killed you both anyways, no matter what your choice, it was my test. Then they allowed me to make a choice; I could stop you and disown myself from the host, or I could allow the slaughter of a mere human and prove my loyalty to Heaven."

"I don't remember that."

"You had no knowledge of any of it. You didn't even know I was there."

Dean frowned, angry that his friend had had to choose between him and his own family.

"I chose to save you, but it was too late. You were killed beyond resurrection and Heaven knew that I didn't love them as much as I loved you." Cas let out a quiet sigh. Then he realized what he had said. "And your brother, of course," he hastily amended. "I freed Sam but Crowley took you." His voice broke.

"Cas..." Dean had no idea what to say.

"And now my brothers want to purge themselves of the brother that dared to love a mortal more than them." Cas took a shuddering breath. He'd pushed these things to the back of his mind, and they felt awful.

"You severed all ties to heaven to save me?" Dean asked, regarding his old friend in a new angle.

"But I didn't save you. You're broken, Dean, and I can't fix you," Cas whimpered. "That hurts more than anything my brothers and sisters could possibly do to me."

"I'm so sorry, Cas, I didn't mean-"

"Don't, Dean, please," the angel interrupted. "You can't undo what you did, and I can't either."

"What I don't understand is why they didn't try to kill you before. I mean, this isn't the first time you've put me over them."

"No. we were told to love the humans, and I did, more than I should have. But I committed a crime far worse then Lucifer's. He refused to love the humans, defying God's orders. But I- I fell in love with one."

Dean stared at him.

_Cas loved me._

Suddenly he felt very human again, very weak and small and insignificant.

"In the eyes of my brothers and sisters, that's the most blasphemous act ever committed. To lower myself to the standards of creatures like you."

"Cas," whispered Dean, unable to say much else.

"That day, I stood there and told my family that I no longer loved them as much as I loved you. I told them that I would never again be loyal only to them. Now can you see why they don't want me to live?"

Dean walked shakily over to the bed to sit next to Cas.

"How long?"

"I don't know exactly."

"Cas." Dean cleared his throat. "I think I did too."

The former hunter threw his arm around the disgraced angel's shoulder and buried his head in his trench coat. They sat in silence until the sun came up, scared and sad and hopeful all at once.


	7. Going Through The Motions

**Author's note: This is quite a short chapter but I've got a rather long one in planning. Oh, and thanks so much for the 40+ follows! I'm quite blown away by the positive reaction this has gotten!**

"Basically what you're saying is that you have absolutely no plan whatsoever."

Castiel and Dean had delegated the weird 'Daniel' thing to the hunter that had previously disposed of the Leviathan. He'd looked a little weirded out at being commissioned by a demon and an angel, but he'd done a good job and the house was being sold to a pair of young men in newly-wedded bliss. They'd reached an unspoken agreement that they'd stick around for a while. Dean, on some unconscious level, wanted to try to rebuild his relationship with Cas, and Cas literally couldn't leave the hotel room and its protective environment. Dean had seen a couple of unrealistically clean figures lurking suspiciously outside the hotel; figures that never seemed to need to use the bathroom or eat or sleep. White-clad figures looking up at their hotel room.

"Basically. I just made some sort of commotion in, like, Tanzania or Laos or something that would draw Crowley's attention away and then I'd grab the souls and release them. The other angel then took them upstairs."

"Dean, I can't even leave this hotel room right now, let alone pull a soul up with me."

"I know, dude, you're kind of screwed right now."

Dean yawned and sat back in his chair, kicking back his legs.

"Do you ever miss it?"

"Miss what?"

"Being human."

"Naw," Dean said quietly. "What's not to like? I don't have to sleep or eat or work out or- or anything," he stammered. "I can make little paper cranes fly around."

"Dean, you were yawning."

"Yeah, well, I'm kinda bored. Downstairs I can usually flog a few rapists-"

Cas visibly flinched.

"What I meant to say, Dean, is that you've been going through the motions. Ordering all your old 21st century foods, lying in bed at night, buying a coffee even if you don't need it."

"I like the taste," Dean grumbled.

"You hate black coffee."

"And you know that I hate black coffee." The demon regarded Cas carefully, unsure of whether to be flattered or taken aback.

"I'm sort of an expert," Cas said finally.

A few moments passed in uncomfortable silence. Cas studied his hand.

"An expert on me?"

"Yeah."

Dean's mouth twitched in amusement.

"That's either really flattering or extraordinarily creepy."

"Can we please focus on getting me out of here, Dean?" Castiel all but hissed.


	8. I'm Here

**Author's Note: Well, they got a room. Might as well use it.**

**I don't own Supernatural or any of the elements therein. If I did, every episode would consist of things like this.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"For God's sake, they're just not leaving!" Dean cried in frustration. The hotel room they had been using as home base for the past few days was absolutely surrounded by angels: angels in the street, angels in the corridors, angels staying in the other rooms on the floor.

"What are we going to do about it?" Cas asked absentmindedly from under the covers. He'd been lying there for about four days straight, watching 21st and 22nd century television. Currently, it was_ Star Trek: The Last Hope_, a series that had come out a few decades after the Winchesters' deaths.

"I'm at a loss, man."

"Well, you're now a smuggler by trade, are you not? You've taken a score of souls from Hell itself. Can't you get just one out of a fancy hotel?" Cas said innocently.

"I dunno. I'm a lot better at slipping through Crowley's fingers than flying under a bunch of psychedelic holy rollers' radar. Besides, it's a lot easier to smuggle things out of an empire that you reign over."

Cas yawned and stirred. "Can we create a distraction in, say, Kazakhstan or Nepal? Something that will keep the angels busy?"

"What kind of distraction could make every angel shake a tail feather halfway around the world?" Dean pointed out. He began to pace by the window.

"We could stage a second coming of Jesus," Cas suggested sleepily. Apparently laying in bed for half a week could make even an angel long to take a nap.

"Where is Jesus, anyways?" Dean wondered. "I mean, throughout the whole Apocalypse ordeal and the God-is-missing thing, you'd think he'd pop in at some point."

"Jesus likes to roam the Earth and assess the peoples therein."

"Meaning...You have no idea where he is," guessed the demon.

"He disguises himself as human to test the goodwill of men and women. I think he's been testing angels, too, because he's completely hidden from us."

"Us?" Dean asked. "You mean you still get Angel FM? I'd'a thought you'd be tuned out, what with your 'unforgivable betrayal' and all." He made air quotes for emphasis.

"Most of the angels powerful enough to control our communications are dead," Cas admitted. "The ones who are left don't care enough." Waves of pain rolled off of the angel.

"Cas?"

"I don't know if you realize how many died in the early 21st century..." He turned away, unwilling to let on how guilty he still felt about that. But Dean noticed the caustic shift in his old friend's mood; he remembered the angel's guilt well enough the first time around. He wanted to be able to comfort him, to ease the pain and the regrets, to hold him and tell him that everything would be okay.

"Castiel." Cas looked up. Dean almost never used his full name. The demon had transported himself closer to the bed, and he sat next to Cas. Cas propped himself upright with the luxurious lab-grown down pillows.

"You don't call me Castiel," he breathed. His face was inches from Dean's, and he forced himself to block out the dark aura that clouded his vision. Behind it, those beautiful green eyes Cas had yearned for over centuries spilled every emotion the demon felt. Heartache, sorrow, desperation, regret...longing, hope, trust. Dean blinked and looked away, embarrassed. He felt the angel's bottomless pain as if it was his own.

"Where the hell do we go from here, Cas?" Dean asked in a trembling voice. A painfully hot tear spilled down his cheek. Cas took the demon's hand in his, the calloused warmth a small comfort in this uncertain moment. Looking at Dean, he realized that he didn't need to look through the ugliness anymore. The horrid colors that marked him as a demon seemed to fade as Cas felt a surge of emotion for him. They were still there, but as his chest began to ache painfully he could look Dean's face once again. There were even glowing traces of a soul somewhere deep inside.

_You're beautiful. All of you. And I missed you so, so much, Dean-_

Dean looked at Cas once more.

"I missed you too, man," he said. Cas started and pulled his hand away. Hurt, Dean inched backwards. "Cas? Is there something wrong? Did I-"

"Shut up, Dean," he said, much more harshly than he intended. The demon shrank back. "No, I didn't mean- Just, I think..." _Oh_. "Dean, I didn't say that out loud." He grabbed both of Dean's hands in his.

"You mean..." The demon's eyes were wide in awe.

"You felt it. You _felt_ what I was thinking."

"What does it mean?"

_I think we still have a bond stronger than anything I've ever heard of._

Dean closed his eyes in concentration.

_I... Can you hear me?_

Cas smiled.

_You're very faint. Find me, Dean, come closer._

He felt a warmth as Dean reached towards his consciousness.

_That you, Cas? You're really...warm._

Cas watched Dean's face. He looked so content there, so happy, he couldn't help wondering what it would be like to...

_Can I kiss you?_

Dean's eyes flew open and he broke contact with Castiel's hands.

"Did I think that or did you? That was really loud," he exclaimed.

"I think we both did," Cas breathed, reaching his hand back to Dean's.

Then, the moment they had wanted for centuries was there, now, ethereal. It was real. Dean closed the space between them and closed his eyes. He caressed the angel's soft face with his free hand and tasted Cas's soft, pink lips. They were even better than he'd imagined. His best friend tasted of strawberry ice cream and the morning sun. A warm, enveloping light washed through him, and he hadn't realized how empty he was until he was kissing Cas and felt so whole-

The angel broke apart from the kiss, breathing heavily. He rested his forehead against Dean's and opened his eyes, meeting Dean's gaze. They inhaled each other's presence for a while until Cas absentmindedly flickered his tongue over his lips and Dean was hit with a wave of lust so intense it made them both gasp.

Dean pulled back the bed covers and crawled in next to Cas. Then, feeling the waves of attraction pulsing off of the angel, he climbed on top of him, feeling as if he was propelled by a magnet. Soon, Cas was lying flat on his back, panting and gazing at Dean. Dean straddled his angel's waist and held his chest tight. The close proximity caused their thoughts to tangle and collide until Dean could barely tell which belonged to Cas and which belonged to him

_I- I need you, Dean-_

_Missed you so much-_

_I love you more than anything in creation-_

_My Cas-_

Dean lost all control as Cas let out an audible whimper. The angel pawed at his chest feverishly, and he shivered as the angel pulled him into a kiss once again. Now, he was pretty sure their thoughts were shared.

_Wantyouwantyouwantyou-_

_Please, please, please-_

_I love you so, so, so very much-_

_Oh, God-_

Powerful surges of longing coursed through them as they desperately fought for control of each other's mouths. It was one hundred percent more potent than anything Dean had ever felt before, and something told him that it was love, absolute devotion and trust, searing, powerful, all-consuming love.

And lust. Their blood was alight with the heat. Dean could feel Castiel's fear at this driving his hesitation.

_It's okay, Cas, I'm here, I'm right here. It's okay, everything's going to be fine. I love you._

_I'm scared, Dean._

_Trust me._

Dean broke the kiss, panting for air. He took in the sight before him, Cas flushed and disheveled and gorgeous even as uncertainty nagged at the edge of the angel's consciousness The angel opened his eyes, and Dean saw that his pupils were wide open and he was panting too and why were they still clothed?

_I can still hear you, Dean._

_I'm sorry. I didn't mean to think those things._

_No, it's... it's quite all right._

Cas moved his hand down to the hem of Dean's shirt and began to touch his skin beneath the clothing. Dean shivered with longing. His cock was aching for contact and the internal struggle for control with his desire became nearly impossible. He focused his attention on Castiel's neck, and kissed the heated, slighly stubble-grazed skin there. Cas gasped loudly.

_Oh, Dean..._

_Cas, I love you more than the sun and the stars and the night and the day._

_Cas tugged on Dean's shirt._

_Want it off-_

Dean sat back and pulled it off slowly. He didn't realize it was possible to feel any more need, but Castiel what was emitting, oh God...

He tossed his shirt aside and looked down at Cas again. He was moaning, head thrown back in longing, and Dean felt him wrestle with his fear. Dean reached down and began to unbutton his dress shirt but it was so much effort.

_I hope you don't like this shirt too much._

_And you your jeans-_

Dean ripped the shirt open and traced a hand down his angel's bare chest. Underneath him Cas whined and slipped a hand under Dean's waistband and began to tear the denim and more lust built up between them.

_Wait, Cas, I forgot that I can-_

_Dean closed his eyes in concentration for a moment and willed the clothes off._

_Oh, God, Dean, DEAN!_

They were completely naked now, and the angel hissed at the sudden skin-to-skin contact.

_You think that feels good? Just wait until- Mmph-_

Cas forcefully grabbed Dean's head and kissed him with a passion that made them both dizzy.

_Get. Inside. Me. Now, Dean._

_Oh my God, oh my God._

Dean forced himself to stop grinding against Cas. He grunted at the loss of friction but Cas soon moved his leg along his inner thigh and put it over Dean's shoulder.

_I'm ready, Dean. I want you, no, I need you._

Cas handed him a bottle of lube and looked Dean in the eyes. He was burning up, and Dean could feel a hunger coursing from the angel- or was it from him?

_Cas? Are you sure?_

As much as he wanted to fuck Cas until the angel screamed, his unwillingness to hurt Cas won out.

_I've never been so sure in my life._

_I love you, Cas._

Cas gently reached out to take Dean's hips in his hands. He wrapped his legs around his waist and urged him on. Dean took a deep breath and spread some lube over his fingers. It was his turn to be uncertain, he'd never done this before.

_Neither have I, Dean. It's okay._

Cas guided Dean's hand between his legs and shuddered with anticipation. Most of the unbearable heat had melted away, replaced by a lighter tenderness that melted Dean's insides. He took Cas's hand with one of his and with the other, he slid his index finger inside.

Cas mewled and whined at the sensation. It was unlike anything he had ever felt. Dean was stroking him and it was weird and fantastic all at the same time-

And then there was another finger inside him and he gasped because it felt so good and so right and they were moving and spreading him so nicely-

Castiel's pleasure reached Dean all at once and he froze for a minute, forgetting why he felt this good until his angel reminded him.

_Dean, don't stop! Please, please, I want you._

And then Dean found that he could use his new powers to his- and Castiel's- advantages. He added a third finger and used the pleasure that washed over him to gauge what Cas liked.

_Fucking hell, Cas-_

"Dean!" Cas shouted out loud when the former hunter brushed his fingers over a spot that made him quiver in lust. He dug his fingernails into Dean's back, drawing a hiss from him.

_More, Dean, please._

The heat was back, boiling their blood and searing their flesh. Dean clutched Cas's hand and pulled his hand out. The angel whined and cried out and disappointment at the loss of contact.

_Just a moment, love._

Dean took a deep breath and aligned himself with his angel's entrance.

_Your angel. I like that, Dean._

_Mine. And I'm yours._

And then the world skidded to a halt as Dean pushed in with an impossibly loud moan.

It had been far too long, centuries in fact, since Dean had done this, and he had never felt this amount of pleasure. It was almost unbearable. For Cas, he'd never done had any sort of sexual contact and he was entirely overwhelmed at the sensations.

And then Dean began to thrust, and Cas needed to hold on to something because was too much. One hand grasped at Dean's dirty blond hair, pulling tight, causing little rivulets of pain to curl around the edges of the pleasure, but it just felt good. He let go of Dean's hand which he'd been clutching for dear life.

Dean's cock hit his prostate perfectly as Castiel's hand grasped the forgotten brand on his shoulder. As pleasure radiated from the angel's body, ribbons of electricity spread through Dean's body at the contact.

"Cas," he breathed, the added pleasure from the angel's grasp sending him nearly over the edge far too soon. His thrusts became ragged, desperate. Anything for more of that heat. Cas felt a surge of pure energy as his body was wracked with orgasm. He cried out something unintelligible as he covered their bodies with sticky come, the room filling with angelic light.

Dean grunted as Cas tightened around him. He could feel himself getting close. Then the residual energy from Castiel's orgasm washed over him, and the angel gripped his handprint scar even more tightly, sending miniature bolts of lighting through him, pooling in his stomach and before he knew it the world was white and he was filling Cas with his own release.

Panting, he pulled out of Cas and rolled off, curling up at his side. He traced mindless patterns on Castiel's chest. The angel was making a noise not unlike a cat, sated and happy. He opened his blue eyes and rested them happily on Dean. He rolled over so that he faced the fallen hunter. He rested his forehead against Dean's.

"I can see why you like this so much," he said after they were both breathing normally once again.

"Like what?" Dean muttered, lost in the angel's pretty blue eyes.

"Sex," Cas stated softly, leaning in for a round of lazy kisses.

"Mmm. But I don't want that anymore," he slurred, sounding slightly drunk. "I only want you." He cupped the angel's face in his hand as they kissed. "What took us so damn long?"

"We were afraid, I think," responded Cas. "You lost everyone you loved and you didn't want to love me." Another lazy kiss, basking in each others' warmth. "I just didn't know what to do."

"Plus you're, like, a dude," Dean mumbled sleepily. Cas wrapped his arm around the demon's waist.

"I could utilize the body of another-"

"No," he cut off. "I like you just like this. Wouldn't want it any other way. I love you, Cas, and it's taken me centuries to say it, so you better listen. I like your messy hair and your silly grin and your pretty blue eyes. I like your breaches of personal space and the way you don't understand my dumb references. I like that you put up with my crap and you always come back and I like that you're completely and totally mine."

"I like you too, Dean, even if you're a demon." Cas smiled sloppily. "I like your paper crane trick and your smile and that mischievous eyebrow twitch and your eyelashes and your humanity. I love you, Dean. I sacrificed everything for you and I'd do it again in an instant."

Cas began to kiss Dean's neck. Dean shivered at the sensation, and Cas growled possessively and bit down playfully. The former hunter giggled and rolled on top of Cas, peppering his nose with light kisses. Cas caressed his inner thigh with his leg. Dean moaned softly through the kiss and felt himself growing hard again.

_Ready for round two already, Dean?_

_You betcha, tiger._

_Tiger?_

_Well, metaphorically. Are you up for another go?_

* * *

**Ehehehehe, I'm truly evil. What do you think; should I stretch out the sex scene into another chapter? **

**As always, follows and reviews are ****_très appréciée._**


	9. Tiger, Tiger

**Okay, I did not expect 17 PMs telling me to continue! Thanks for your enthusiasm! Hope the chapter is to your liking! Enjoy, my beloved kitties.**

**Um.**

**Ignore that, 'kay?**

* * *

_Ready for round two already, Dean?_

_You betcha, Tiger._

_Tiger?_

_Well, metaphorically. Are you up for another go?_

_That depends._

_On what?_

_On whether or not I get to claim you for my own._

_Dean squeaked as Cas rolled them over and he was pinned down. Cas propped himself up on his elbows and smirked down at him._

_Dominance. I like it, Tiger._

_Not as much as you will like what's coming._

_Is that a threat?_

_It's a promise._

Cas leaned back in and began to kiss Dean's neck again, earning a gasp and a strong wave of lust for his efforts. He felt the demon's soul reach for him, tangling itself up inside of Castiel's. He threw his head back in pleasure as Cas began to make his way downwards, pausing to bite every inch or so. Dean clutched a pillow in one fist, the other full of the angel's tousled hair.

_Cas. Holy fucking hell, Cas._

Cas bit and sucked at Dean's chest, flitting his tongue out to worry at a deliciously pink nipple.

_For a demon, you sure taste salty._

Cas lapped at a knotted scar across Dean's abs, the sensitive tissue responding with the most delectable pain.

_Please, Cas- I- I need you-_

"What do you need, Dean?" Castiel's husky growl made Dean's neglected length throb harder. The angel felt his lover's desire emanating from his skin, his soul crying for release. "Tell me what you need."

Apparently, his voice was very sexy, because Dean's arousal flowed into him impossibly strongly.

_My voice, oh my God._

He could hear himself talking to Dean, but he was hearing it as Dean did. He felt the insane attraction building in his partner.

_Please, Cas._

"Please what?"

"I want you to fuck me with your mouth," Dean whimpered.

_All you had to do was ask._

Cas licked from the top of the muscular V on Dean's abdomen down to the bottom, leaving a wet, glistening trail. He bit a sensitive patch just above the demon's hipbone. Then, he made his way down to his inner thigh, reaching a sensitive patch that made Dean whimper.

_Oh, Cas..._

Finally, Cas took the head in his mouth, drawing a pleasured whine from the former hunter. Dean grasped the angel's hair tightly in his hands and fought the urge to buck his hips into his mouth. Dean's pleasure washed over Cas in a cascade of sensation, and he growled, his mouth still around Dean's cock. He licked the base and srew his tounge slowly along the underside.

"Fuck, Cas," he yelled loudly. "Oh, god!"

Then, he could take the teasing no longer. He grabbed Castiel's head and willed the angel to take him fully. Feeling Dean's desperation, he complied, taking him up to the hilt with a grunt that sent shivers up his spine. Dean moaned and thrust again and again, his pleasure reverbating through both of them. It didn't take long for him to come, pulling Cas with him through their shared sensations, and they collapsed back on the bed together, as exhausted as two immortal beings can be.

* * *

After an hour or two of half-sleeping, half melting into each other, they were pulled from their stupor by a loud knocking on the door.

"Room service," announced a squeaky female voice.

Dean frowned, annoyed.

"We didn't order room service."

"Room service!" The knocking didn't stop; it got louder and more insistent.

"I think you have the wrong room," he yelled harshly. We didn't order any-"

"Open the damn door, Dean Winchester, or I'll burn down the hotel."

Cas shot up, alarmed, as he recognized the voice.

"Isabella?"

Dean stared. "Wait, did you order room service, Cas?"

"No, Dean. Isabella is a...friend." He flew to the door and peered through the peephole warily.

"Castiel? Are you in there?"

"What do you want?"

"Your sigils are really effective. You have to let me in, like, now before they catch up with me and you won't be able to let anyone in at all or, like, leave ever again!" Isabella ranted. She had adopted the vocal mannerisms of the 12-year-old girl she inhabited.

"How do we know that we can trust you?" Cas asked over the endless stream of verbal noise. He rolled his eyes at Dean, who watched the exchange, amused.

"You don't. But I imagine you'll get bored of the hotel room after a few centuries with nowhere else to go. Can't you, like, hear what they're saying down there?"

"Aw, let her in. She sounds too squeaky to do much harm," Dean said, yawning.

"I once inhabited a pre-adolescent girl, and I'm not harmless," Cas reminded him as he pulled on a bathrobe and unlocked the bolts of the door. Isabella hadn't stopped knocking and she fell into the room and onto the floor. Cas slammed the door shut and bolted it again.

"Um, why aren't you wearing clothes?" Dean asked, taking in the sight of the girl's naked body before looking away respectfully.

"Oh, uh, right. I guess that explains, like, the staring people outside. Humans," she scoffed. "So judgmental, even after all these years."

"Hey," said Dean, slightly offended.

"What's your problem? Not like you're one of them," she snapped, folding her arms over her chest. Dean winced.

"Why are you here, Isabella?" Cas frowned.

"I wanted to, like, go shopping, dummy."

"Here. Put some damn clothes on," Dean threw the other bathrobe at her, forcing him to stay in bed with the sheets over his body.

"I'm trying to help you, demon. Actually, I'm trying to help Castiel, since he's too whipped to help himself. I don't give a fuck what happens to you." The swear sounded alien coming from her twelve-year-old voice.

"You can't hurt me, Lizzie McGuire," Dean said. "Nobody can. Not any of you wingmen or even the King of Hell. Believe me, he's tried."

"Castiel, you need to get out of here," the angel said urgently, pointedly ignoring Dean's barbed insults.

"Why now? You weren't nearly this admanant when we spoke the other day."

"Wait- Cas- you- you spoke to her recently? When?" Dean sputtered indignantly.

"I came to warn him."

"Warn of what? The Angel Brigade stationed outside our door? We got that bit, thanks," Dean scoffed.

"Shut up, Hell-scum." Isabella waved a hand and Dean's voice was muffled by a pillow. "Cas, the angels, they heard everything. They know what you did with that whore, and they're more determined than ever to kill you. And then, they'll take boy toy over here and torture the Hell out of him. Literally."

"Why are you so eager to help us?" Cas wondered.

"When I came to warn you the first time, Castiel, some of the higher-ups caught wind and now I'm Heaven's Most Wanted Number Two." Isabella looked scared at this thought. "I'm nothing, nobody. Father didn't even name me. I was a slave to the slaves, until I decided to help you. If you and your pet can find somewhere safe, then maybe you can help me." Isabella looked at her feet.

"Dean?" Cas asked. "What do you think?" He flicked a finger and Dean was freed from the pillow.

"Sounds like she's part of the fugitive club too. What else can we do?" Isabella smiled. "Guess we need to find you some clothes, kid."


	10. The Plan, Or Lack Thereof

**Yes, this chapter is unbelievably short, but my muse for this story has absolutely vanished. Vamoose. It's on a vacation in the Bahamas. Send me a post-card, Mr. Muse. I desperately await your return.**

**I feel really bad about how long it's taken me between updates. Feel my regret and sorrow coursing through the internet and seeping into your fingertips as you scroll down past this obnoxious author's note.**

**Also, rest in peace those who have died in the recent tornado down south. If you are in to praying and stuff, send a prayer. Or, more realistically, send help.**

* * *

"We need to create a diversion," Cas pointed out.

"Can I blow something up?" Isabella asked. "I'm good at that."

"No, kid. Shut up. Cas, if you can't smite me, then I should be safe out there. I can at least get her some clothes."

_And maybe distract everyone who is outside_, he added through his powers.

"I don't understand why I can't smite you. I mean, you are a demon, right?" Isabella pouted, ignoring Dean's request for silence.

"I'm the first demon that's ever been a righteous man," Dean said, suddenly realizing it. "Maybe that affects the ways I am allowed to interact with other beings."

"But I don't see why the majority of demons would have to listen to a righteous man," Cas pointed out.

"Maybe they have more power over people who aren't quote-end-quote righteous."

"You mean everyone except for you?" Cas wondered dryly.

"Um, guys, I need clothes, remember?"

"Yeah." Dean stood up, still covered in the sheet, and began to dress himself. Cas watched unabashedly and Dean pulled on his discarded clothes as modestly as possible.

"Castiel, I can hear your thoughts, and they are absolutely disgusting," Isabella scoffed. "He's an abomination-"

"Would you shut- UP?" Dean turned around to find Cas pinning the little girl up against the wall. "I would take no pleasure in killing another sibling but you cannot speak that way about Dean!" Cas was panting.

_Cas, let her go. I remember you thinking the same things about my brother, and that demon girl...Ruby._

_Dean..._

_Yeah, Cas?_

_Ruby was evil. She was a twisted, greedy soul fueled by lust and wrath and using your brother as a way to get what she wanted. I don't care what species you are, I trust you and your decisions one hundred percent._

"If you guys could stop brain fucking for one minute, I would kindly like to remind you that we are trapped with no hope of escape."

"Thank you, Isabella," Cas and Dean said simultaneously.

* * *

**Don't kill me for the shortness, please.**

**And if you have ideas, prompts, requests for this fic, ****_any fucking thing_****, PLEASE tell me. My muse is currently focused on All The King's Men because of dat season gr8 finale.**


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